


A Good Day

by TheGoldenHawk



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Pets, Rumbelle Christmas in July 2016, rcij
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-24
Updated: 2016-07-24
Packaged: 2018-07-26 08:46:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7567726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGoldenHawk/pseuds/TheGoldenHawk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Belle French, going to the park with your dog Dalia, has an unpleasant encounter with a mysterious man, after she discovers that the first impression are not always correct.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Good Day

**Author's Note:**

  * For [JunoInferno](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JunoInferno/gifts).



> My gift RCIJ for junoinferno, I hope you enjoy it.  
> comments are always welcome and appreciated. XD

"Come on Dalia! It's a new city! A new adventure to discover!"

Exclaimed Belle, to her dog Dalia an Australian Shepherd with blue eyes exactly like hers. That dog now lay on the sofa in the living room of the small apartment of Belle’s, totally disinterested in anything that would involve leaving the warmth of their new home, which had only arrived the previous night. They still had much to unpack, but after a few minutes of silent deliberation, she decided that after all, she did want to go out and explore, because what sense did it make moving across the world and not seeking adventure?  
It was a beautiful afternoon in Storybrooke, Maine. The autumn seemed to have come earlier this year. Leaves in various shades of gold covered the streets of the small town, giving the appearance of a beautiful carpet that accompanied each person in their way around town; Belle and Dalia, walked through the town enjoying the last hours of sunlight.

"You see I told you it was a good idea to go out," said Belle to Dalia as they came to a park, which was only a few blocks from her new home.

"Dalia, why don’t you have some fun? I'll be here," she exclaimed cheerfully as she untied the leash and watched her dear friend rush out to explore, chasing squirrels and saluting children who were playing quietly in the park. As Belle took the book she was carrying and started to read, she thought it was definitely a good idea to move to this small town.

0|0|0|0|

The sun began to hide and the temperature started to drop. It seemed that it would rain and to make things get worse, Belle couldn’t find Dalia.  
"Dalia, Dalia, where are you ? It’s time to go home."

Belle had been distracted by her new book and when she saw the streetlights of the park lit up and people started to leave, she decided it was time to go home. But there was a small problem, she could not find her pet and the last time she had seen her, she was chasing squirrels. Now, she was nowhere to be found.  
Suddenly, someone behind her cleared their throat "Excuse me, is this your dog?" asked a man who looked quite intimidating but admittedly quite attractive. He had beautiful, chocolate brown eyes, long hair up to his shoulders, and was impeccably dressed in a three piece suit. He looked like a character in a mystery novel. It occured to her that he had asked a question and blushed when she realized she had been watching him. Remebering the question, she finally noticed that beside him was Dalia, looking a little ashamed, along with a small white dog with cute brown eyes.

"Dalia! what happened? Where were you? You had me so worried!" Belle exclaimed, hugging her dear friend and putting her leash on once again.

"Let me answer those questions, miss," he interjected, "Your pet" he said with a tone, quite contemptuous "Has been causing havoc around the park all afternoon, disrupting the calm of people and other animals much more disciplined. "

"That's not possible, Dalia has always been very quiet, I admit that sometimes she is very playful but never to the level of being annoying," Belle began to explain, completely shocked by what she was hearing.

"Save your excuses miss and let me give you a warning, if I ever see your pet, running wild all over this place and disturbing the peace, I will call animal control."

"I think you’re being rather harsh sir, this is a public park and animals have the right to run free."

"You're right, dearie, it is a public park but there are rules. Why not find another park, something more suitable for wild beasts like yours. Perhaps, I don’t know, the forest?" He said with a tone that was quite scathing

Belle was about to give him an answer, equally scathing, about who would end up in the forest if they threatened her beloved pet when lightning interrupted her

"Well I hope i have been pretty clear," the man said, before he turned and walked away- faster than a man with a cane might be thought capable of- directly to his black cadilac, which was quite luxurious and parked in front of the park. She watched it drive away just as the first raindrops started falling

"Well, Dalia, it’s time to go home"

As they walked home and Belle tried not to slip with the mix of heels and rain, she thought of that unpleasant encounter with the mysterious man. She did not expect, nor did she intend, to see him again and decided that no longer seemed so attractive.

0|0|0|0|0

The next day, Belle decided to go to Granny's to visit her best friend Ruby, who she had not seen since her mother died and she moved to Australia with her father. Despite the distance, Belle and Ruby remained friends, keeping contact through email and skype calls.

"Belle!! Is that you? When did you arrive?" exclaimed the tall brunette with too much red in her appearance, as she watched Belle walk into the diner

"Hi Ruby!” she greeted as she hugged her friend, “I arrived the night before yesterday, but I spent all day yesterday, unpacking and recuperating from jet-lag. I am very glad to see you!"

"I'm glad you see you too! Come on, you have to tell me everything," she replied as she guided her to an empty table where they could talk comfortably.

Suddenly, the bell chimed indicating that there was a new client, but then a great silence fell in the whole restaurant. It was so silent, you could hear a pin fall.  
At that moment, Belle turned to see who had entered and saw who she least expected to find. It was the mysterious man from the park. She must have imagined that in such a small town, she’d be able to avoid ever seeing him again. Judging by the silence across the dinner, he was not a very beloved person. It was sad but was not surprising.

"Mr. Gold, here is the rent money," Granny said coldly, breaking the silence that had filled the whole diner and handed him a white envelope. Mr. Gold only gave a brief, cold thanks before leaving.

"Ruby, who is that man?"

"That’s Mr. Gold, he owns most of the town. He's a horrible person, always looking for an excuse to evict granny. I recommend you avoid him at all costs."

0|0|0|0|0|0

After a couple of burgers, iced tea, and a long chat with Ruby about the horror stories of Mr. Gold and town gossip, Belle decided to head back to her apartment for Dalia. She needed some fresh air and thought they could explore the town a bit, maybe go to the park.

Now with Dalia beside her, Belle went about all the main street. She saw the animal shelter, an ice cream shop, a clothing boutique, and many very interesting shops but the most wonderful of all was a library which had a clock tower that, apparently, did not work. For some reason, she found it funny and thought she’d inquire about a job.

"You know Dalia, I think this is our lucky day," Belle said, smiling to her dog who smiled back, fully understanding what her friend was saying.

|0|0|0|0|

"You know I'd let you run, but with what happened yesterday, I do not want to get into trouble."

After asking for information in the library, she got an interview set for tomorrow. The current librarian is an older woman named Mrs. Potts, apparently she’s been working for 30 years and is looking for a replacement before retiring.  
So all going well, she had her own apartment, and soon she may have a new job with what she most loved, books.

So she decided to go to the park and read a little more, while Dalia rested beside her. After a couple of chapters she realized something was wrong. It turns out that Dalia was no longer beside her. How did that happen? She had her leash tied to the bench where she sat, apparently the dog is smarter than she looked.

Before going into a state of panic, she started to look for her as calmly as possible, calling her name and waving a bag with snacks. Then she appeared, running toward Belle before greeting her friend to accept some snacks. Dalia began directing Belle to an area of the park where a boy, more or less 10 years of age, was playing with a small white dog, which she found looked quite familiar.

Shit

"I see you do did not heed my warning, dearie." Beside her appeared Mr. Gold, who looked a bit annoyed.

Shit!

"And obviously, you didn’t stick around to hear mine. This is a public space. Dalia is not causing any trouble, so she can have all fun she wants," she replied as calm and determined as possible.

"Yet, you can’t keep a lid on your pet," Mr. Gold said in a bored tone as he watched the boy and two dogs play, apparently the child is his son, but he made no move to get away from her so they just stood watching

"I'm Belle French, by the way, just moved here this week," she introduced, trying to fill the uncomfortable silence.

"Rowan Gold" he said as he shook hands, looking somewhat surprised that she’d even want to talk to him.

"So, you come around here often?"

"Almost every day, I come with my son Bae, and his dog Jack," he said and pointed to where Bae was playing.

And so they continued talking rather amicably about trivial things, while Rowan led them to a picnic table that was nearby and they discussed more interesting, diverse topics such as literature, politics, and their countries of origin. Apparently the mysterious Mr. Gold, terror of Storybrooke, was not as scary as he appeared to be. He was actually quite interesting and funny

After much conversation, they realized that it was late and decided it was time to leave. Bae said he liked playing with Dalia and that he hoped to see them soon, before running off to get in the car with Jack following him, giving both adults some space.

"Well Mr. Gold, it was nice to properly meet you."

"Likewise, Miss French."

"Belle, just, Belle"

At that moment she felt a rope entangle among them and thought it was her imagination. Perhaps she read too many romances and she was daydreaming. But she realized that no, Dalia was pushing for them to be closer together and then tried to run off, causing Rowan and Belle to fall into a pile of dry leaves.  
Rowan, instead of shouting or complaining, started laughing. His laughter was so contagious that Belle also began to laugh.

"Are you okay?" Belle giggled.

"Yes, and you?"

"I'm fine."

"Apparently, your pet could not end the day without causing some sort of mischief," he said, smiling as they helped each other get up. Between his cane and her dangerously high heels, they made a funny spectacle.

"I think this time gives you some merit to complain, but I told you that Dalia is sometimes a bit playful." Belle grinned and gave him his cane.

"So, we'll see tomorrow?" Rowan asked a little shy

"Depends. No longer going to make me find another park?"

He had the decency to look a bit embarrassed and just said, "No"

"Great. Then, I guess we'll see you," Belle said, smiling brightly and picked up Dahlia’s leash. "Until tomorrow, Rowan, give my regards to Bae and Jack"

"See you tomorrow… Belle," he said warmly and watched her as she walked away with Dalia beside her. He got into his car where his son was waiting, full of questions about what happened and if they would see Dalia and Belle again.

"Yes, I think we will son," he said with a small smile as he drove home.

While Belle walked home, she tought about the mystery man, Rowan, and how ridiculous the stories Ruby told her sounded now that she had actually talked to him. She learned that the cold-hearted landlord was really just a mask.

"I guess everything went according to your plan, right Dalia?" she told her dog, who did her best to look innocent.

Belle smiled to herself and realized that today was, in fact, a very good day, and she and Dalia would be very happy here.

The End.


End file.
